Does yoga change the psycho-physiological states among first year college students? A novel investigation via yoga for stress management protocol
Yoga is a promising treatment for mental health, but its impact on first-year college students’ academic stress is not well understood. The present study presented a Yoga for Stress Management (YSM) protocol to examine its effects on psychological and physiological outcomes. Participants were random...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Adolescence and Youth |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2025.2502559 |
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| Summary: | Yoga is a promising treatment for mental health, but its impact on first-year college students’ academic stress is not well understood. The present study presented a Yoga for Stress Management (YSM) protocol to examine its effects on psychological and physiological outcomes. Participants were randomly allocated to a yoga group (N = 27) or a control group (N = 32), with the yoga group participating in 45-minute sessions three times a week for eight weeks. Psychological measures indicated substantially larger decreases in stress (η² =.11, 95% CI [1.26, 2.60] vs. [3.80, 6.12]), depression (η² =.11, 95% CI [1.05, 3.17] vs. [2.15, 4.65]), and generalized anxiety (η² =.31, 95% CI [6.26, 8.62] vs. [11.28, 14.72]) for the yoga group, with group × time interactions. Physiological benefits consisted of decreased diastolic blood pressure (η² =.30, 95% CI [73.48, 78.52] vs. [75.80, 80.66]), greater root mean square successive difference (η² =.12, 95% CI [76.33, 92.87] vs. [56.68, 77.06]), and greater alpha electroencephalography activity (η² =.20, 95% CI [0.36, 0.37] vs. [0.34, 0.37]). Such results indicate that yoga successfully lessens psychological distress and improves physiological regulation among first-year college students. |
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| ISSN: | 0267-3843 2164-4527 |